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Commission aims to 'cool down' budget tension with Italy

Italian and EU officials are attempting to diffuse tension between Rome and Brussels, as Italy's populist government aims to boost spending - risking breaching EU rules. On Tuesday Jean-Claude Juncker met Italy's president of the chamber of deputies, Roberto Fico. A commission spokesperson said "it was a moment to cool down the temperature." Juncker told Fico it was up to Italy to find measures that adhere to agreed budgetary targets.

Opinion

Sometimes in chess, a sacrifice brings victory. Theresa May should pay heed to the example of Slovakia's premier, Iveta Radicova, who sacrificed her job in order to get difficult euro bailout legislation through the Bratislava parliament.

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